An apparatus for impregnating fiber structures with a matrix material includes a lower part having a bath for receiving the matrix material and a draining unit. The draining unit includes a wiper having a wiping edge, over which the impregnated fiber structure is guided during operation, and a surface inclined in the direction of the bath, by which matrix material draining from the fiber structure can return into the bath. The draining unit includes a cover on which a deflection unit, by which the fiber structure is pressed into the bath when the cover is mounted, is mounted. When the cover is mounted, a gap is formed between the cover and the lower part on the sides by which the fiber structure is guided into the apparatus and emerges from the apparatus. A method for impregnating fiber structures with a matrix material is also disclosed.

A thermally expandable composition includes at least one epoxy-functional polymer, at least one endothermic chemical blowing agent, at least one free radical initiator, and at least one guanidine derivative. The invention is also related to a baffle and/or a reinforcement element for hollow structures including the thermally expandable composition, to a process for manufacturing the baffle and/or the reinforcement element, to use of the baffle and/or the reinforcement element for sealing, baffling, or reinforcing of a cavity or a hollow structure, and to a method for sealing, baffling and/or reinforcing a cavity or hollow structure.

The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced-resin composite molded article including: a rigid layer that is formed of a fiber-reinforced-resin material for a rigid layer; a shaping layer that is formed, at least on one side of the rigid layer, of a shaping-layer compound composed of a thermosetting resin and fibers that are shorter than fibers contained in the fiber-reinforced-resin material for a rigid layer; and a cured resin being formed of a liquid-state resin that is deposited on the surface of the shaping layer. The fiber-reinforced-resin composite molded article has a structure in which the fiber-reinforced-resin material for a rigid layer, the shaping-layer compound, and the liquid-state resin are cured under heat and pressure in a layered state.

A reinforcing-fiber composite material includes not less than 20 wt % but less than 70 wt % of discontinuous reinforcing fibers, and a matrix resin, wherein at least a portion of the discontinuous reinforcing fibers forms a fiber aggregation, and at least one bundle of the fiber aggregation has a surface that, when projected onto a two-dimensional plane, has at least one region where the number of monofilaments constituting the aggregation is reduced, at opposite ends in a longitudinal direction of a minimum circumscribed rectangle of the projected surface, and at portions other than the opposite ends.

The present invention provides a prepreg including a radical polymerizable resin composition, containing at least a radical polymerizable resin and a polymerization initiator, and a fiber substrate. The prepreg is characterized in that both surfaces of the prepreg are coated with a film having an oxygen permeability of 200 (ml/m.sup.2.Math.24 h.Math.atm) or less. The prepreg can suppress the delay of the proceeding of curing reaction after storage at room temperature, can allow curing reaction to properly proceed during heating of the prepreg, can suppress the occurrence of a molding defect, and can produce a molded product having excellent workability, and thus can be preferably used for an automobile member, a rail vehicle member, an aerospace plane member, a civil engineering and construction member, a casing of an OA device, and the like, and can be particularly preferably used for an automobile member, a housing equipment member, a sport member, etc.

A sheet molding compound according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a thickened product of a resin composition comprising a vinyl ester resin, a thickener, a polymerization initiator, a polymerization inhibitor and isobornyl methacrylate; and a reinforcing fiber.

The present invention provides a resin composition comprising: (A) 100 parts by weight of epoxy resin; (B) from 10 to 80 parts by weight of benzoxazine resin; (C) from 10 to 50 parts by weight of dicyclopentadiene phenol resin; and (D) from 0.5 to 5 parts by weight of amine hardener; wherein the resin composition is free of diallyl bisphenol A (DABPA).

A curable epoxy composition comprising a polyvalent epoxy compound (A) having a biphenyl structure and/or condensed polycyclic structure, a phosphorus-containing epoxy compound (B) having a structure shown by the following formula (1) or (2), and a triazine structure-containing phenol resin (C) and a film, laminated film, prepreg, laminate, cured article, and composite article obtained using the same are provided.

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Where, in the formula (1), each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 respectively independently represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, the pluralities of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different, and each of “m” and “n” respectively independently represents an integer of 0 to 4, and where, in the formula (2), each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 respectively independently represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, the pluralities of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different, and each of “m” and “n” respectively independently represents an integer of 0 to 5.

The present invention relates to a molding material, having: (A): a fiber substrate made of carbon fibers 5 mm or longer; (B): at least either an epoxy (meth)acrylate resin or an unsaturated polyester resin; (C): (C-1) inorganic fibrous filler with a cross-sectional area of at least 0.8 μm.sup.2, or (C-2) inorganic flaky filler with a cross-sectional area of at least 0.05 μm.sup.2, both of which have an aspect ratio of 2.0 or higher and a length of less than 3 mm; and (D): a polyisocyanate compound.

A high-CTI and halogen-free epoxy resin composition for copper-clad plates and uses thereof is provided. The formula of the high-CTI and halogen-free epoxy resin composition for copper-clad plates comprises 100˜140 parts of halogen-free phosphorous epoxy resin, 10˜35 parts of dicyclopentadiene phenolic epoxy resin, 32˜60 parts of benzoxazine, 1˜5 parts of phenolic resin, 0.05˜0.5 parts of accelerants; and 25˜70 parts of fillers, by weight. The copper-clad plates, prepared according to embodiments of the present invention, can reach the requirements of high CTI (CTI≧500V), high heat resistance(Tg≧150 ° C., PCT, 2 h>6 min) and the level of flame retardance of UL-94 V0, and they are widely used in the electronic materials of electric machines, electric appliances, white goods and so on.